Nagpur: In a major development in the high-profile Ram Jhula hit-and-run case, police have filed a 425-page chargesheet in a Nagpur court against prime accused Ritika alias Ritu Maloo. The trial in the case is expected to begin soon.
The chargesheet also names Madhuri Sarda, who was present in the car at the time of the accident, and Ritika’s husband Dinesh Maloo, and they are likely to face investigation during the proceedings.
Gold Rate
18 Aug 2025
The case dates back to February 25, 2024, when Ritika Maloo’s black Mercedes rammed into two youths on Ram Jhula. The victims, Mohammad Atif and Mohammad Hussain Mustafa, who were travelling on a two-wheeler, died on the spot.
Earlier, Ritika Maloo was granted default bail after the State Criminal Investigation Department (CID) failed to file the chargesheet within the stipulated time. However, subsequent investigations revealed that Ritika had allegedly consumed alcohol before the accident.
In recent weeks, seven police personnel, including a Police Inspector (PI) and a Police Sub-Inspector (PSI), came under scrutiny for lapses in the investigation.
With the filing of the chargesheet, the case is set to move to the trial stage, where the role of Ritika and others present in the car will come under closer legal examination.
If convicted, Ritika may be jailed again under Section 304 (II) of Indian Penal Code, depending on court’s decision, which may be more than nine years, after deducting her period spent in Nagpur Central Jail, where she stepped out on November 26.
Ritika mowed down two youngsters, Mohd Atif and Mohd Hussain Mustafa, while rashly driving her black Merc under the influence of alcohol shortly after leaving CP Club with her friend, Sarda. The Regional Forensic Science Laboratory (RFSL) detected alcohol traces in Ritika’s blood sample, following which Tehsil police invoked non-bailable section 304 (II) of Indian Penal Code for culpable homicide not amounting to murder. Police later invoked charges of destruction of evidence against Ritika’s husband Dinesh, as he was instrumental in whisking away with the accused from the spot, which led to a six-hour delay in arrest and blood sampling for liquor test.
